Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Sometimes when you are in the midst of something, you cannot write about it. Sometimes there are wishes that you previously thought unwishable. And sometimes, oftimes - the distractions in life are very important. I have a mish-mosh of distractions. A giveaway, a humble soup. Two awards. These are all things that make me smile. In the middle

As stated in an earlier post, Joe at Italyville posted a giveaway of this lovely ABC Italiano book by Sonya Caruso - designed to start toddlers on the journey to learning Italian. As someone struggling to learn the language in my rapidly advancing middle years, there's no time like the present to start. I am the lucky recipient of ten of these books (Joe reached his designated 50 comments, bravo Joe!). I will be giving some of the books to the Italian Cultural Institute in Minneapolis as well as to a few local children's charities. (And saving and treasuring one). I will also give three of them away (thanks to Ciao Ciao Linda for the generous idea). Simply comment on the blog and I will randomly select three names to be the recipients of this beautiful book. And please visit Joe - right now he has an olive oil giveaway. And he always has something heavenly cooking in his kitchen.
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My idea of comfort is soup. And a piece of chocolate. But it is the soup that soothes me and nourishes me. It's reassuring, it's warming and it's simple. Some lettuce and beans. Broth. An abundance of spring-like rosemary and just a tad of red pepper flakes to bring it all together.

In a stock pot heat your olive oil to hot but not sizzling. Saute the garlic, celery and red pepper flakes until the celery softens - about 3 minutes. Add the broth, rosemary and chickpeas. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes to let the flavors meld. Meanwhile cook your rice separately.

Remove 1/3-1/2 of the mixture. Let cool a bit and then put in the blender. Blend. I like thickening the soup this way - but I also love the chunks of chickpeas floating around - creamy surprises in every bite.

Add it back into the original pot. I am tempted to start serving this now. I can wrap myself around the pot.

Add your escarole. Along with the rosemary, it adds a welcome of the spring that is to come. Plus, I love it. Simple. And packed with flavor.

Watch it cook down. It only takes a minute.

Every thick spoonful brings the humblest bean and the sweetest lettuce. And somewhere in each taste, there is this delightful heat - not overpowering, just a presence of sparkling red pepper dancing. Beckoning.

Let everyone spoon their own rice into the bowls and then ladle the soup over. The rice will never turn mushy if kept separately. While the chickpeas give way to creaminess, the rice will add a touch of the chewy. Sprinkle (or in my case, "drown") freshly grated Parmesan over the soup. What can I say? I am a Parmesan fiend.
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While muddling in the middle, Claudia at What's Cookin Italian? sent me this. A huge smile. Her recipes are creative and Traditional. Innovative and down-home. Visit her and enjoy.

There's always some flavor-filled healthy cooking on her blog. I hope you also visit her.

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I would like to send these off into the world to evoke more smiles. If it's all right with Claudia and Sophie, I would like to do this differently. I am at a place right now where choosing is too hard. Actually, "choosing" has always been hard. That's how I wind up with 30 kids in my cast when I direct. Hard to say "no." Hard to say "just you two." It's why I write large-cast plays. If you are one of the first ten commenters, please take the "teddy bear" home to your site. And if you are commenter 11-20, please bring home the "honest scrap" award. Don't be shy - it is yours with my thanks for the visit. And all commenters will be eligible for the ABC's Italiano book.
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This is just my kind of soup, full of incredibly flavours. Another one I need to make. Its wonderful to see you so busy and so happy with it. Very generous giveaway too. Wonderful stuff Claudia, as always!!

Yea for Joe and for you for sharing with your readers. I can't wait to get them and distribute them. In the meantime your soup is just the kind of soul-warming meal I need with the cold that's developing.

I love chick pea soup! I make a creamy spicy version but yours looks so good with the addition of the escarole and rice. Do you have an immersion blender? It is so handy as you can puree right in the pot with it. I bought a $10 model in a CVS drug store and it works fine.

I'd love to win a copy of that book for my grand bambino! Joe is so generous!

The healthiest most delicious ingredients all in one bowl and looks absolutely marvelous...love those chickpea's in everything, and everyway possible, your soup looks outstanding, and a must try perfect for this cold weather! Gracie~

I saw my first recipe for chickpea soup just the other day in Lidia's cookbook. Prior to that, I had been missing out! I love that you made it and posted about it because you have convinced me I need to try it.